M2 Machine Gun Used In Mexican Cartel Firefight

This Chevy Suburban fitted with a M2 machine gun was found in Nuevo Laredo Mexico, just across the Rio Grande from Texas:

Pretty scary considering some points of Nuevo Laredo are less than a mile from houses in Texas! (Google Map)

Unsurprisingly, Google does not have “street view” on their maps in that part of Mexico. Probably something to do with their automated censor program not being able to tell a dead body from a live one. :P

Looks like the M2 would have limited mobility in the back of that suburban because due to the barrel length it would be trapped between the frame on the back right side window.

Yeesh, that definitely seems like a “spray and pray” solution… not only is the barrel absurdly limited in its range of motion, but getting behind the handles to actually aim looks damned near impossible.

I really have to wonder why they did not just point it out the back… or truncate the barrel and give themselves more room. Or use a larger vehicle.

Of course, all that wondering does not even begin to touch on how freakish an M2 mounted in a drug cartel’s truck is…

I’m glad on the limited range of movement if they were shooting at the police or random people. On the other hand, If they were shooting at rival gangs and drug dealers though I think it’s disappointing they limited the effectiveness of that weapon.

Actually the noise would be less than a simple ground mount. All the noise is at the muzzle, and if it’s outside with the body of the vehicle to block some of it, so much the better.

Former USMC M1A1 Abrams crewman — neither the 120mm or the .50 M2 sound like much from inside a buttoned-down tank (all hatches closed) but darned loud outside. Laying under the 120mm main gun without hearing protection would almost certainly cause massive permanent hearing loss…

Yeah as an 11B just recently returned from Afghanistan, I will say that Jeremiah is correct. The M2 doesn’t sound like much when you’re behind it, but the guys outside are gone be deaf. And probably dead. Although by the looks of that setup, not much aiming is going to occur with no room behind the weapon. Still, where did they get that?

Haven’t you heard? They went into Texas and bought it over the counter in Amarillo. I hear it’s a big problem these days, what with rednecks and teabaggers selling crew-served automatic weapons without paperwork through the gunshow loophole.

We can only hope they pass another law imposing even stiffer penalties and fines on all those thieves, crooks, robbers, drug dealers and criminals to discourage them from selling those evil firearms during the course of their murders, rapes, kidnappings and trafficking in illegal narcotics. That’ll solve the problem!

@ Alehandro: They probably bought it at the same place were they got their 37mm grenade launchers and Mossberg 500 sniper rifles.

@ Doc: I was hugging some trees with some friends today from the “Grenola Enthusist Club” and showed them this. We all agree, more gun control! Guns are bad and cause global warming. The world would be so wonderful if there were no guns. It would be really hard to kill someone with hugs.

Or maybe from the same place that the bosses of Anahí Beltrán Cabrera got their AR-50.

I’ve stated it before and I’ll state it again, the longer the gun users in the United States continue to IGNORE the facts and keep telling themselves “yeah right, those guns don’t come from here” the more time you are giving to the brady bunch and the like to prepare a solid offensive and put up another AWB.

I’m a pro-gun Méxican and I hate the stupid attitude some of the gun-folks take, YOU ARE JUST SHOOTING YOURSELVES ON THE FOOT FOR ALLOWING THIS!

In which case it’s still highly expensive and rare. I don’t doubt that there are M2HB semiauto replica – but a quick poke at google shows a range from US$9,500 to US$10,500. And at that point, why bother? Especially since the last I had heard, it would be illegal in Mexico anyway, on the grounds of firing a military caliber

Grasping at straws like “who said it was a machine gun” is sort of silly in this case. Even if it wasn’t a machine gun, it’s still a horrifically-expensive item when legally purchased in the US; and EVEN MORE pointless in this case if it is semi-automatic – at least if it is FA a driveby with the triggers held down would be marginally effective.

They obviously have no regard for what is legal and what isn’t… so why would they waste even a penny on a semi auto ma deuce replica, when without doubt they could get the real thing. From the footage I have seen on TV, and pictures on the internet, I’t doesn’t seem like money is any issue.

Why assume a rich man’s toy (semi-auto M2HB is a rich man’s toy) came from the US at a gun show (and had to be smuggled across a border) when a much simpler explanation is that it was bribed out of a mexican army armory?

I’m not saying it couldn’t be a semi-auto replica from a US gun show; I’m saying it’s extremely unlikely; and it would be IMPOSSIBLE to be a full-auto and purchased at a gun show (and, in fact, I say that no matter the cost – given the paperwork necessary to transfer an NFA device).

Because of the simple fact that the Mexican army usually roles with the H&K 21E, instead of .50s, it’s too cost prohibiting for them, they do have them, but they are not that common.

That’s in the same manner that their rifles, if they where to be bribed as usually, you’d see a heck of a lot of G3s in the hands of narcos, one heck of a lot, but no, you see bushmaster etc, I’m not blaming either manufacturer, I’m blaming the smugglers and them only.

At that angle through that window, the weapon looks virtually useless, which makes the photo seem to be possible propaganda. A photo-op sort of thing, as opposed to a photoshop thing. There is not enough room behind the weapon for an operator to be able to properly operate the weapon, unless it is set up for operation from a remote location, in which case it would likely be equipped with a real-time camera aimed in conjunction with the weapon at a pre-determined target that the remote operator is reasonably certain will pass through the viewfinder, and when it does, activate a servo and open fire!

I don’t think cartels are known for their pinpoint accuracy, and operational safety. If there is no room behind the gun, I’m sure they just fire it from the side with the seats folded down “spray and pray” style.

See, the problem is that you guys can’t see the license plate, which explains everything. It reads: MEX130. That, gentlefolk, is a Mexican Cartel AC-130. As for the small amount of space behind the weapon, this was not thought to be a problem, as they hired Verne Troyer to be their fire control officer.

If its a genuine M-2 captured from genuine cartel-types, then surely they were caught with it before they finished mounting it. Otherwise, the operator of the weapon would seem to be remiss in allowing it to be captured. Gonna have to find and read the story now

I vote for the spray and pray scenario. It would be perfect for a sideways strafing run at a wedding party or a ‘made man’ ceremony, but it doesn’t seem likely that a group would go into a firefight with the weapon in that position. If its a van, I’d want it either out the side door or out the back, but then, I’ve never been in a firefight

It isn’t set up to be used for a drive by. It’s set up to be used like a piece of mobile field artillery. There is a side cargo door on the drivers side that is open in the picture. The operator stands outside the vehicle to fire the weapon. The ammo can is mounted on the left side and the shells would either be ejected out the back door or they could close the back door and let them pile up inside the van if they don’t want to leave evidence. This set up would be very effective and difficult to spot considering the range it has. It could be parked anywhere and when it’s time to rock and roll just open the cargo door and side window, swing the gun into postition and let it rip. The Browning can be used with good accuracy for over a mile and and the round still lethal at more than four miles. With the different rounds available you can take out almost anything short of a tank with one.

For stealth hey probably keep the gun on the floor until ready to use then mount it with the window pointed in the target direction. Brownings have a fire rate of 600 to 1200 rounds per minute depending on model, Considering the standard Browning spits out 10 rounds per second one of these you could level a small mexican village in a matter of minutes. I don’t think the cost of the weapon was a consideration when they got this. A basic .50 BMG round is $5-$7 and tracer, armor piercing or incendiary rounds are much more expensive. At $5 per round it costs $3000 to operate the weapon for 1 minute. Mony is no problem if you can afford to play like that.